


Arcana

by EA_Lakambini



Series: Orbital Resonance: GOC2020 [16]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Domestic, Established Relationship, Far Future, Fortune Telling, Good Omens Celebration 2020, I don't think I interpreted this prompt correctly, Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), M/M, Questions, Tarot, light fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:40:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24232972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EA_Lakambini/pseuds/EA_Lakambini
Summary: Before moving to the South Downs, Aziraphale and Crowley consider, through another old human practice, where they’ve been and where they’re going.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: Orbital Resonance: GOC2020 [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1725724
Kudos: 8
Collections: Good Omens Celebration





	Arcana

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a crazy week and I've had to get writing for another challenge, so I do apologize for not uploading on time, and also for possibly misinterpreting the prompt! This was literally what came to my head after about half an hour of staring at the thing
> 
> Prompt: far future.

“Angel, I honestly can’t tell if you’re actually sorting out books to bring and not to bring to Sussex, or if you’re just building a fort,” Crowley said, bemusedly looking at the various piles of boxes and manuscripts and books piled around the bookshop. From behind a rather tall teetering pile, he could just about see the characteristic fluff of white-blonde hair.

“Darling, I _do_ have a system,” Aziraphale said, peeking out from behind the pile. He carefully set down two leather-bound tomes into an unlabeled box. “It’s not my fault that you just never understood it. But it would be a very nice fort, now that you mention it. Now would you hand me those three books over there?” He continued, gesturing to a stack of books near Crowley’s leg.

Crowley carefully picked up three books off the top of the pile, before gingerly making his way to Aziraphale. He had to pick out a slightly clear route in the maze of books, trying his best not to disturb Aziraphale’s… system. As he handed the books to the angel, Crowley accidentally knocked over a smaller pile with his elbow. Aziraphale spared him a mildly irritable glance, which softened into a look of fondness at Crowley’s apologetic smile.

“Oops, sorry, angel,” Crowley muttered, trying to set it back to rights. As he carefully righted the pile, he noticed a small box that had been wedged in between two books. Brushing off the dust, he recognized the design on the front. “Tarot cards, Aziraphale, really?”

Aziraphale moved over to take a look. “Why, yes, my dear,” he said, smiling slightly as he pulled out the deck and examined the designs. “This is one of the later ones, sometime from the 15th or 16th century, I believe. Though I last brought this deck out during the 19th; you probably wouldn’t remember, passed out as you were.” Crowley looked at his companion in interest. “Hang on, so you actually used them? You actually indulged in… the _occult?_ ” He drew out the sound of the last word teasingly.

“I actually studied a little on how to do this, but just the simpler combinations,” Aziraphale said, blushing slightly. “I mean, if I was going to be drawing pagans from their rituals and back into the fold of the Almighty, I had to know what I was up against.” Crowley smirked; he was pretty sure it was more of Aziraphale’s plain and unrestrained curiosity that led the angel to learn tarot. “Do you still remember how? Want to give it a try?” Crowley asked.

Aziraphale fidgeted with the deck slightly, then stepped out from behind the piles of books and boxes to head to the back room of the bookshop. Crowley followed him, his interest piqued.

Crowley found Aziraphale seated on his armchair, carefully making a space on his table. The angel gestured slightly for Crowley to come closer. “Well, I suppose it can’t hurt, my dear,” Aziraphale said, while setting the deck in the middle of the table. “But you’ll have to be the one to ask a question or propose a situation, as I will be the one conducting this reading.” Crowley tried not to laugh at how seriously Aziraphale was looking at him. “Yeah, sure, angel; I’ve been asking questions since the beginning of time, so I don’t mind.”

Aziraphale looked at him expectantly, and Crowley suddenly felt a little ashamed for treating this so lightly. This was something that Aziraphale studied with just as much care as his misprinted bibles or his books of prophecies; the least he could do was to treat this reading with a similar level of care. He looked at the deck, and then said, “I want to ask about us; you and me, angel. Our past, our present, our future. What it all means. How we managed to make it to where we are.”

His question left Aziraphale looking a little surprised, but with a sudden tender look in his eyes. Crowley could feel his cheeks becoming warm. The angel simply nodded, and replied, “All right. A three-card spread, then.” He then began to shuffle the deck by cutting it into several smaller piles, before bringing them back together. Crowley watched the angel’s fingers move the cards skillfully, without any fuss; far more simply and lightly than when he attempted his other magic tricks.

Aziraphale then split the shuffled deck into three equal stacks, setting the stacks beside one another. “All right, Crowley; you’ll flip over the top card on each pile, to indicate past, present, and future,” he said softly. Crowley reached over and turned the card on the first pile, revealing the Five of Wands.

“So, this is about us, 6,000 years ago?” Crowley asked. Aziraphale nodded, examining the design on the card. “Wands are associated with fire and primal energy, so that sounds about right for the start of the entire universe,” Aziraphale said. Crowley raised an eyebrow. “What, so we literally started because of… creation?” he asked. “Sounds a bit simplistic.”

Aziraphale shook his head. “The Five of Wands also indicates conflict and rivalry,” he continued, and Crowley looked a little closer at the card. Aziraphale smiled slightly. “Like it or not, much of what happened in our past was because we were on opposite sides, my dear,” the angel said. “Or, it could just mean that we started from a conversation about a flaming sword, and off we went.” Crowley laughed a little at that.

Now definitely interested, Crowley flipped over the top card on the second pile, revealing the Two of Cups.

Aziraphale exclaimed in surprise. “Oh! That’s… that’s a rather nice card for the present, I think,” the angel said, tracing the image of the hands holding up the cups, as though toasting each other. Crowley brightened, suddenly understanding what the angel was thinking of. “From rivals to partners; is that what it means?”

Aziraphale looked up from the card to him, and Crowley was hit with the brightness of the angel’s smile. “Yes, my dear; the Two of Cups represents unity, connection, and love.” Crowley gently covered Aziraphale’s hand with his own. “That’s where we are now, angel.”

“Now, let’s see where we’ll be,” Aziraphale continued, squeezing Crowley’s hand. Crowley hesitated over the last pile. “Angel, I don’t think you really believe in tarot or in anything like that,” the demon said slowly; Aziraphale looked at him quizzically. “But I think you can believe in us,” Crowley continued. “Six thousand years from now, I know you’ll still have to deal with me and all my shit.”

Aziraphale’s mouth curved into a soft smile. “I’m looking forward to it, my dear; no sense in stopping what I have always done. Now turn that card so we can get back to packing?” Crowley could hear the affection and mischievousness in the angel’s voice, and he loved him for it. He turned over the card on the third and last pile. The World.

Aziraphale picked up the card, a look of wonder crossing his face. “I suppose this means,” he said slowly. “That, in the future we have ahead, we will be one with the world. And with each other.” He smiled at Crowley, blue eyes meeting gold, with the promise of a future for them both.

Crowley smiled back and carefully stacked the rest of the cards together, before taking the World card from Aziraphale and placing it on top. “That’s exactly how I want it, angel,” he said, reaching over to take the angel’s hand and pulling him to stand. “So, let’s get started on getting there.”

**Author's Note:**

> Just an FYI, I haven't actually studied tarot in detail; it was something that some of my friends and I tried waaaay before, and somehow it just came to mind for today's prompt. I don't mean to offend anyone with my interpretation. If my readings are incorrect, I do apologize!
> 
> Thanks for dropping by!


End file.
